Talkari or talcarie is a term used to describe a curry or side dish on the islands, and is East Indian in origin. Mango talkari (my mouth still waters as I recall my school boy days) or Mango Amchar was sold by vendors just outside the gates of my primary and secondary school. At breaks it would be a mad dash to fork out your 50 cents daily allowance to grab a pack of this spicy mango snack. There were times that the vendor would use too much pepper in it’s creation and you’d be gasping for air with the heat, by the time you’d be back in English Lit class.
Before we get to the actual recipe I’d like to point out that there are different variations of making this talkari. Some people pre-boil the mangoes or you can cook it directly in the amchar massala as I’m about to show you. There’s also a difference in ways you can finish. You can try to keep the mango pieces whole or in my case, try to get it to melt a bit and form a gooey texture.
You’ll need..
2 green mangoes (cut into wedges)
2 tablespoons Amchar Massala
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper (optional)
1 habanero pepper – sliced thin (or your favourite hot pepper)
3 cloves garlic crushed/chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Wash and cut the stem of the mangoes and get ready to cut into pieces. I’ve created a short video (see bottom of page) showing you how to go about cutting the mangoes to the required size. Bear in mind that I’m making this mango talkari with the skin and seed still attached. However you can also peel and cube the mango into pieces if you don’t want to be bothered with the time and effort it takes to cut the hard seed of the mango. If you do go this route, it will decrease on the cooking time and chances are you will end up with a more “melted” texture to the mango talkari.
After you’ve cut the mango into 1 cm pieces, wash and set aside to start cooking (be sure to remove the inside white pieces of seed that inside the mango seed itself) . In a heavy bottom pot/pan add the oil and allow to heat. Then toss in the garlic and slices of hot peppers, allow this to cook for a minute or 2 on medium heat.
Now we’ll add the pieces of mango and the amchar massala and stir to coat every piece of mango with the massala. After a couple minutes turn down the heat between medium and low and add the salt and sugar. Cover the pan and allow to cook for about 30-45 minutes. Depending on the type of green mango you used the cooking time will vary, as well as the tartness when you bite into it. Keep this in mind as you taste near the end for salt and sugar… add more accordingly. You’re looking for a taste with a combination of the massala, sweetness, tartness and heat from the hot pepper we used. You’re probably saying in your head “Chris how the heck should we know what you mean?” trust me, once you taste it you’ll know if you need to add more sugar and/or salt. If all you can taste is the massala or a tart taste… you need more sugar and a pinch of salt. BTW, the ideal mango talkari will have a lingering taste of the hot pepper and not be overwhelmed by heat. Unless this is to your liking!
I have a feeling I missed something in the description so let’s recap…
– remove the stem and cut the mango into pieces (wash and remove seed pieces)
– heat oil and cook garlic and hot peppers
– add mango and massala
– add sugar and salt, turn down the heat and cook with pot covered for about 40 minutes or until tender and coated. Stir often to prevent sticking and burning.
* Remember for faster cooking and to avoid having to cut the mango seed.. peel and cube the green mango.
Couple things I’d like to mention before I finish up with this recipe.. be sure to get “full” mango for best results. A full mango is one that’s mature enough to go to ripe soon and will be a yellowish shade when you cut it open (it will be less tart or sour) . The second thing I’d like to mention is that the hot pepper is an important part of this recipe, so even if you can’t handle the habanero or scotch bonnet, you can use a milder pepper. One that you can handle!
Be sure to leave me your comments or questions below.
Happy Cooking!
Hi Chris
Thank you for this recipe
Did not know it this way I usually boil mango first
Followed all the steps using green apple instead of green mango (kinda have to being in the mid-Atlantic) and it turned out great. Thanks Chris!
Hi Cris , You fogot the Shado Beni .
Hi Chris, I need your help. I accidentally somehow send an unsubscribe mail to you, which was Done automatically by gmail. That was your recipe #57.
I actually wanted to move it to my recpie folder but somehow it unsubscribe. Please put me again in your subcription and can you resend recipe #57 again please. Thank you very much.
Hiem
hi chris, in Trinidad we steam the mangoes first to to take out some of the acid from the mango, and also there will be less cooking time
I LOVE your recipes and the way you give your instructions (I could just feel like we in your kitchen)!! I can’t wait to make this one! I live in Alberta and we don’t have any good W.I restaurants in Edmonton and my Ma is not around anymore to ask.(she taught me a lot).. So thanks for helping me learn how to cook these exciting dishes!!! My Mom would be proud!
This sounds nice but I add some shadow beni (bandania) and it adds to the flavour. Also, when I am frying the garlic and onion, I put in some curry leaves (carripalay) and you should smell the aroma. Very tasty dish
Chris which mango would be best to use and does amchar marsala known by another name. Im in Jamaica and cant find it.
Is it better to boil/scald the mango first before make the talkari. Doing it you way will the mango skin be soft or firm. What texture are we looking for.
Hello Chris. I'm from french guiana, i don't know this recipe, i am going to try it soon .
ok, i cant find this AMCHAR MASsALA, they gave me 2 things, one says Amchar and the other Massala, neither one of these are dark like the bag u show, is it the same thing and can i use it to do the mango…
thanks
Another good tip, boil sliced mango first for 20 mins to soften skin.(some varieties have a tough skin )Boiling also reduces tartness… Oh, b.t.w. Add some salt while it’s boiling
Just made some this weekend. Great with any Indian dishes.
Hi Chris,my mouth watering !!!!!!!!!!!already,just love mango anchar,only missing rice, dhal,and carrille.
Hi Chris, thanks for all the lovely recipes.A little variation on the curry mango,boil the mango in lots of water until the skin is soft' throw out the excess water,this gets rid of most of the acid, cook the curry in the oil for about 30sec. then put the mango into the curry and add the sugar,mix well and cook for a further 10 mins,you may need to add a little water.
Chris, can you please send me the recipe to make Doubles? Thank you and God bless.
Hi Chris,
Can you use any type of mango to make this?
Looks delicious.
That's a bit of a tough question to answer. You need a fleshy mango, but not one that has it's own unique flavour. One's like turpentime julie will not give the best results.
Chris:
I like how the recipe, pictures and method are presented on this site.
Chris:
I don't mean to be critical, but this method of cutting the mango could cause injuries. There is a much better method that I would use. This is a very difficult way to do it.
Can you share it with us? Thanks.
I always wanted to make this instead of buying it. With 3 bearing, Julie mango trees in my yard – I am going to try this now!. Going mango picking – will let you know how it turns out.
So how did it turn out? i'm sure you made an excellent batch.
what a delicious recipe, chris your a genious, thx so much :))))
Peter, I’m making a batch as I type this response to you.
happy cooking
chris…
p.s. the batch I have on right now is loaded with pepper…let’s hope I can cope with it.
Thanks for this recipe always wanted to try this.I always take home when i go to any of my friends wedding.
My mouth is watering so bad!
.-= Cynthia´s last blog ..Anatomy of a Food Label – Part 2 =-.
Hello Cynthia.. it’s been a while. Hope you’re having a great start to the new year.
happy cooking
chris…
Dionne, glad you’re enjoying the recipes and thanks for adding on FB. Erica, I’m sure if a poll was to be done it would reveal that mango is the most popular fruit world wide. Maybe you can share a Colombian recipe using mango with us?
happy cooking
chris…
This sounds delicious. Mango is a popular fruit in Colombia.
.-= Erica´s last blog ..Dulce de Leche and Coconut Roll (Pionono de Arequipe Y Coco) =-.
This recipe sounds super easy to make. I’m taking note of it to make for my dad’s birthday bash tomorrow. Thanks for the great pictures and directions Chris. (P.S. I just sent you an add request on facebook.com, thanks again)
Re: Taymer, thanks for taking the time to get back to me. no worries on the time.. I know how busy life can get. I/we are open to anything you’re willing to share, however anything relating to Caribbean theme of the site would work best. But please don;t let that be a limit to what you’re willing to share.
Re: Cynthia, yea the newsletter “Sizzle) is delayed but you do have the option of subscribing to the rss feed which will keep you updated as soon as a new post is made.
Happy Cooking
Chris
.-= Chris De La Rosa´s last blog ..Overview of The City Of Toronto. =-.
I am drooling here.
Chris, I subscribed to your newsletter about your posts and I thought that it would contain your latest posts… but they don’t 🙁 So I now come here to see how many of your most recent stuff I have missed. Because I am very busy I just depend on your mails to update me but it seems that I’ll just have to come straight to the site. No worries I’ll do that.
.-= Cynthia´s last blog ..I’m all spiced up =-.
sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I had saw your request but I am so busy these days. What type of vegetarian recipe are you interested in? Let me know.The site looks great